Israeli scientists grow gold crystal in a lab
In the Middle Ages alchemists attempted to create the philosopher's stone to turn any metal into gold – among other uses. In the 21st Century, Israeli researches have made that dream come true in a modern laboratory.
What are the properties of this gold? What does this advance mean for the future of humankind?
Today and always, the scarcity and high demand of gold has moved people to look for new ways to create gold out of thin air. The scientists of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have gone beyond the medieval alchemists' quest: they attempted to grow the precious metal in a laboratory.
The discovery belongs to the doctoral student Maria Koifman-Khristosov, who worked under the supervision of Prof. Boaz Pokroy. The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is among the leading educative institutes of the country, and it can pride itself of discoveries such as optical fiber and quasicrystals. Now, these two scientists came up with another major discovery: obtaining gold in an artificial way.
This new artificial gold seems to have several advantages over the natural gold, which means that its potential serves in other fields beside science. According to the creators, it is more durable and has a better thermal and electrical conductivity.
That's because this artificial gold has a structure of porous monocrystal with no nuclear boundaries. In a natural environment, there are also substances with a similar chemical structure, such as diamonds, the hardest material.
According to the researchers, the newly obtained gold has a huge potential in the same areas where natural gold is used, especially in those requiring durability, and thermal and electrical conductivity: electronics, industries, medicine, etc.
This discovery may appear a real scientific breakthrough, opening new opportunities for the precious metal!
Read other news on the official Global InterGold news website: How to benefit from the gold price drop? - Brent Cook, the mining expert
